Daniel Rand (Earth-616)
; formerly , , , (while brainwashed), , (as Daredevil), , Luke Cage, , | Relatives = Thomas Duncan (maternal grandfather); Lord Tuan (adopted paternal grandfather, deceased); Lady Ming (adopted paternal grandmother, deceased); Yu-Ti (adopted uncle); Wendell Rand-K'ai (father, deceased); Heather Duncan Rand (mother, deceased); Miranda Rand-K'ai (half-sister); Danielle Cage (god-daughter) | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = New York | Gender = Male | Height = 5'11" | Weight = 175 lbs | Eyes = Blue | Hair = Blond | UnusualFeatures = "Heart of the Dragon" insignia on chest that resembles a dragon | CharRef = | Citizenship = American | Citizenship2 = K'un-L'unan | MaritalStatus = Single | Occupation = Adventurer; formerly co-owner of Rand-Meachum, Inc., bodyguard, private investigator, research assistant, warrior, and Sensei | Education = High School Equivalent of K'un-Lun | Origin = Daniel Rand defeated the "undying" dragon Shou-Lao, gaining the power of Iron Fist from its molten heart. | PlaceOfBirth = New York City | Creators = Roy Thomas; Gil Kane; Bill Everett | First = Marvel Premiere #15 | HistoryText = Daniel Rand was the son of businessman Wendell Rand, who had once lived in the fabled city of K'un-Lun, which exists in another dimensional realm. Wendell Rand-K'ai, as he was known there was the eldest son and heir of Lord Tuan, who ruled K'un-Lun, in the guise of the August Personage in Jade. However, Wendell was driven from K'un-Lun by his brother, who not only wanted to rule K'un-Lun himself, but who was Wendell's rival for the love of a woman named Shakirah. It was Wendell that Shakirah chose, and she bore him a daughter, Miranda. Wendell found refuge on Earth and became a successful businessman in the United States. In his absence, Tuan died and Wendell's brother succeeded him as Yu-Ti, the August Personage in Jade. Wendell married a woman named Heather, who bore him a son, Daniel. Wendell sought to return to K'un-Lun, which ordinarily was only accessible from Earth through an interdimensional nexus that opened once every ten years. When Daniel was nine, his father traveled to Tibet along with Heather and his business partner Harold Meachum in search of the nexus to K'un-Lun. Toppling off a treacherous mountain passage, Daniel dragged his mother and father over the ice shelf with him. While he and his mother landed on a ledge below, his father dangled over the sheer drop of the mountainside and called to his partner for help. Hoping to take over Rand's share of the business, Meachum instead caused him to lose his grip and plunge to his death. Though Meachum offered to help Heather Rand and her son, they spurned him. Attempting to make it back to camp on their own, Heather and her son spied a long suspension bridge as a pack of wolves attacked. Heather tried to hold them off long enough for her son to get to safety and was killed in the effort. Soon thereafter, denizens of K'un-Lun found the boy and took him to their city. There Daniel was brought before Yu-Ti, who had secretly plotted the murder of both Wendell and Heather. Yu-Ti apprenticed Daniel to the martial arts master Lei Kung the Thunderer. Rand's training under Lei Kung was rigorous. At age sixteen Rand earned the Crown of Fu-Hsi, king of the vipers, vanquished four foes in the ritualistic Challenge of the Many, and defeated Shu-Hu, a mechanical being whose name means "Lightning." Rand diligently conditioned his hands by thrusting them into tubs of hot sand, then gravel, and finally rock. At age nineteen Rand was given the opportunity to gain the power of the Iron Fist. He was sent to battle the enormous fire-breathing serpent called Shou-Lao the Undying which lived in a cave outside the city and which ferociously guarded a brazier containing its heart, which had mystically been removed from its body. In their battle Rand grabbed the serpent's body, which bore a scar which imprinted itself upon Rand's chest. Killing the serpent, Rand plunged his hands into the now unguarded brazier containing Shou-Lao's molten heart when his hands shone with a quasi-mystical force and he earned the title "Iron Fist," for he could now summon superhuman energy to reinforce the power of blows struck by his hands. Declining to stay in K'un-Lun eternally, Rand returned to America when the nexus reopened in order to take vengeance on Meachum for his father’s death. While recovering from severe frostbite in the Himalayas, Meachum learned of Rand's training at K'un-Lun, and returned to America as an invalid to await Rand. Clad in the ceremonial garb of Iron Fist, Rand finally confronted Meachum but took pity on the invalid and spared him. Minutes later, however, a mysterious ninja murdered Meachum. Blamed for the murder, Iron Fist undertook the mission of finding the ninja and clearing his own name. Eventually Iron Fist succeeded in both tasks. Heroes For Hire Iron Fist was befriended by Professor Lee Wing and his daughter Colleen, a private investigator. Eventually Daniel Rand became the lover of his partner; Misty Knight. Although Harold Meachum's daughter Joy and brother Ward long mistakenly sought vengeance on Iron Fist for Harold's death, Daniel finally made peace with Joy Meachum. Daniel claimed his inheritance as a full partner in Rand-Meachum, Inc., thus becoming a millionaire. However, Rand allowed Joy Meachum to manage the business. His activities as Iron Fist had led him to become a crime fighter, and eventually he chose to devote his time to acting as the partner of Luke Cage, alias Power Man, in their firm Heroes for Hire, Inc. Through this firm Cage and Rand accepted jobs as special bodyguards or detectives. One day Iron Fist used his superhuman healing power to try to cure a young boy named Bobby Wright of his terminal disease. The disease was a side effect of the exposure to radiation that enabled Wright to transform himself into an adult superhuman being who called himself Captain Hero. Iron Fist went into a trance outside Wright's hospital room in an attempt to rest after the effort of trying to heal him. In another attempt to help Wright, duplicates of Kree "nega-bands" were placed on his wrists. As a result Wright suffered intense pain. Transforming into Captain Hero, he struck Iron Fist repeatedly, desperately trying to bring him out of his trance. Misjudging his superhuman strength, Captain Hero instead seemingly killed Iron Fist before disappearing himself. During a return visit to K'un-Lun, however, Rand was exposed to deadly radiation and was diagnosed with cancer. Almost immediately after, he was kidnapped by the H'ylthri, ancient alien enemies of K'un-Lun who planned an invasion of Earth. A plant-matter clone of Rand briefly took his place in the real world, unknown to his friends. When the clone was killed during a particular mission, Luke Cage was blamed for the murder. Cage was soon exonerated, but their hero-for-hire business was effectively dismantled. Some time after this, the alien Super-Skrull duplicated Rand's likeness, fully assuming his identity in order to use the Rand Corporation and gain economic control of the Antarctic paradise known as the Savage Land. This conflicted with the plans of another company, Oracle Inc., owned by Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner. Namor, Namorita, and Misty Knight confronted Super-Skrull, who, his plans ruined, abandoned Rand's identity and fled. The assembled heroes set out on a search for the real Danny Rand, eventually freeing him from the H'ylthri with the help of Namor and the sorcerer Dr. Strange. Rand had found himself cured of his cancer due to his chi meditations when in stasis with the H'ylthri. Following the seeming deaths of most of Earth's heroes at the hands of the sentient psionic menace known as Onslaught, the duo decided to expand the membership of Heroes for Hire. The agency merged with Oracle Inc. - the corporation owned by Prince Namor, the Atlantean Sub-Mariner - to protect the world from danger, for a price. The original Human Torch, Jim Hammond, lined up the jobs; Iron Fist acted as field commander. The team rarely collected its fee, however, and eventually disbanded when Namor saw fit to diffuse Oracle Inc. Hoping to share the wisdom of his other-dimensional homeworld with humanity, Iron Fist initiated a summoning spell to call K'un-Lun to Earth. Tied to his heartbeat, the kingdom eventually would materialize - merging with whatever city he occupied at the time. But Junzo Muto, teenage leader of the secret cult of martial artists called the Hand, forcibly seized the power of the Iron Fist prior to K'un-L’un's arrival. He then drew the hero to Japan so the kingdom would materialize in the midst of modern-day Tokyo. Aided by the feral X-Man known as Wolverine and a number of the planet's mightiest heroes, Iron Fist put down Junzo's plan and halted the amalgamation of the two cities. However, he was unable to reclaim the power of the Iron Fist. Later, one of Iron Fist's and the Black Panther’s enemies, Nightshade, resurrected the Black Dragon in hopes to control it against the Black Panther. She set the dragon on a mission to capture Panther's U.S. State Department handler, Everett K. Ross. However, the Black Dragon had plans of his own. Instead of capturing Ross, he switched bodies with Ross, for his own purposes. When this was discovered by the Black Panther, the Panther set out to destroy the Dragon's eggs. Not wishing to engage the Panther directly, the Dragon confronted Iron First, restoring the power of his iron fist by using a small favor borrowed from the Dragon's gods and creating an imbalance in his psyche that would brainwash Iron First into fighting the Panther. By a narrow margin, the Panther was able to render him unconscious, which helped restore him to his right mind. The Dragon battled both heroes directly and was ultimately defeated. Iron Fist continued to work with Luke Cage. The two investigated a virus attack on the Rand Corporation, leading to a confrontation with the BAD Girls, Cable, and Deadpool. New Avengers and Daredevil Iron Fist is a legacy power, and that to date there have been sixty-six Iron Fists. The existence of Orson Randall, the previous Iron Fist, has also been revealed, and the two are mysteriously able to share the power of the Iron Fist. Randall is also teaching Danny how to use his powers in different ways than how he has previously. Rand disguised himself as Daredevil to convince the media and the public that Matt Murdock was not the masked vigilante. Rand believed that he had been hired to pose as Daredevil by Foggy Nelson. In reality Nelson had faked being murdered and was in witness protection. He opposed to the Super-human Registration Act, and joined Captain America while still pretending to be Daredevil. While posing as Daredevil, Rand was apprehended by Pro-Registration forces, calling Tony Stark 'Judas' and giving him a silver dollar. He was later freed from the Negative Zone Prison, joining Captain America's team for the final battle with Iron Man's forces. After the final battle, Rand returned his role as Iron Fist and joined the underground New Avengers alongside fellow former Hero for Hire Luke Cage. In World War Hulk, he, alongside his teammates Echo and Ronin, tried to protect Rick Jones from Elloe and Hiroim of the Hulk's Warbound. They were briefly defeated and imprisoned. During Secret Invasion, Iron Fist, along with the reunited Avengers and a myriad of other heroes, took a final stand against the Skrulls in an all out battle in New York City. Thunderbolts Later, as Danny attended a meeting concerning Rand Corp's. crumbling state, he was ambushed by Norman Osborn and the Thunderbolts. After a short lived battle, Danny was defeated, drugged and kidnapped. He found himself somewhere in the Thunderbolts base being brainwashed by Ghost and the Iron Patriot to be a member of the Thunderbolts. Osborn used new technology to brainwash Danny, using mentally-induced simulations in which Rand would kill nearly all the New Avengers but couldn't bring himself to kill Luke Cage. Ghost suggested completely mind-wiping Rand, but Osborn did not want him to lose his skills so he forced Danny to undergo a dangerous procedure where his mind was further tampered with. Iron Fist assisted in capturing Luke Cage, who later escaped thanks to the Ghost's tampering. Iron Fist attacked Luke (who had been assisted in his escape by Ant-Man (Eric O'Grady), whom he had previously swallowed), and Danny made it appear that he had killed Cage, allowing the two to escape by surprise. Danny's chi, as well as profound statements made by Luke Cage, repaired his warped mind. A New Day Going into the Heroic Age, he decided to remain on the New Avengers with Luke Cage, and fought an army of demons from an unknown source. | Powers = Recently his powers, skill, and awareness have been all augmented to vastly higher levels; while the extent is unknown, it was stated his sense of self has grown ten thousand fold and his capabilities now posses infinite depth. He no longer tires from using his chi and is capable of using his powers for greater tasks. Examples include destroying a train with the iron fist punch as it collided with his attack at full speed, healing himself from several external injuries, and detoxifying unwittingly ingested poison in his body with his Chi. Chi Augmentation: Through concentration, he can harness his chi to augment his physical and mental capabilities to superhuman levels. Chi Manipulation: The Iron Fist grants Danny with many abilities that he has possibly not yet learned, such as channeling the Shou-Lao chi into a ranged weapon, such as a gun or bow, to increase its striking capabilities; this technique is used both by Orson Randall and Wu Ao-Shi. *''Iron Fist Punch:'' By summoning his chi and focusing it into his hand, he can draw upon the superhuman energy derived from the heart of the mystic serpent Shou-Lao and make his fist inhumanly powerful and super humanly resistant to injury and pain on a very high superhuman level. This "iron fist" technique does not involve a physical transformation of any kind, simply a psychic channeling of concentrated natural energy. With his fist in this state, Iron Fist can shatter wood and brick, rip through steel, and punch his opponents with extraordinary concussive force without sustaining injury to himself. He can hit with such vast force that he has knocked out incredibly durable Super humans such as the likes of Colossus with his Iron Fist The act of summoning and using his chi for the Iron Fist technique used to mentally drains him after long periods of use but no more. *''Hypnotism:'' After obtaining The Book of the Iron Fist and learning various techniques from Orson Randal. With this Chi Technique he can create various illusions and make his foes see what they want them to see. *''Mind Meld:'' Iron Fist can use his power to temporarily fuse his consciousness with another person, resulting in a sharing of knowledge, emotions, and memories. *''Energy Absorption:'' At times, he has absorbed energy directed at himself and channeled it to augment his own power. *''Energy Manipulation:'' Learned how to tap into energy fields, most notable the electromagnetic field *''Heightened Awareness and Senses:'' Recently his awareness has increased to new levels. To what level it is unclear. Sense when a complete stranger (The Iron Fist Killer.) is going to strike before they actually do. . *''Enhanced Senses:'' He has unusually keen eyesight, but it is unclear if it extends to superhuman level. He can focus his hearing so intensely that he can hear sweat rolling down someones face. *''Increased Speed & Reflexes:'' Can increase his speed allowing him to dodge or catch bullets. *''Increased Durability:'' Iron Fist can create a sort of "Force Field" with his Chi protecting his entire body from damaging blasts, just like his does with his fist while he fights. *''Chi Enhanced Healing:'' If he sustains injury or illness, Iron Fist can focus his chi for the purposes of healing his injuries. On the brink of death after a battle with Radion the Atomic Man, Daniel received a vision of Yu-Ti revealing that "the Iron Fist is not a weapon but a force of will which could perform miracles including healing," saving his life. By focusing enough he can even purge his own body of poison, however Daniel experienced great pain in the process. Recently he has proven capable of healing himself almost unconsciously and does not feel drained in the slightest. He is also capable of channeling this energy into other people, allowing them to heal with more efficiency as well. *''Environmental Adaptation:'' His entire body is oriented to combat, enabling him to adapt to any environment with minimal exposure. Peak Human Strength: He is as physically strong as a human can be without being classified as superhuman, enabling him to lift up to 800 lbs. Peak Human Speed: Capable of running and moving at speeds greater than even the finest Olympic level sprinters, reaching speeds of about 35 miles per hour at times. Peak Human Stamina: Highly developed musculature generates less fatigue toxins than the musculature of most other humans, granting him phenomenal endurance. He could exert himself at peak capacity for several hours without rest before showing any signs of fatigue. Peak Human Durability: The tissues of Iron Fist's body are harder than those of most humans. While still susceptible to injury and disease as any normal human; skin, bone, and muscles are augmented to levels that are somewhat harder and stronger than normal humans. The body is able to heal injuries that would prove lethal to ordinary humans by regenerating cells to a limited extent. Peak Human Agility: Iron Fist's natural agility, balance, and bodily coordination are superior to any Olympic level gymnast that has ever competed. Peak Human Reflexes: Iron Fist's reaction time is superior to that of any Olympic level athlete that has ever competed. | Abilities = Master Martial Artist: Danny is a master of K'un-Lun's martial arts and many of Earth's. Among them being Kunlunquan, Shaolinquan, Judo, Aikido, Karate, and has even displayed proficient boxing, loose brawling and street fighting tactics. Danny is one of the greatest martial artists who has ever walked the earth; having held his own against Wolverine and Captain America struggling more with Wolverine in a contest of pure skill. He has defeated many supervillains including Sabretooth, Gorgon(Tomi Shishido), Batroc, Black Dragon, and Nightshade. He even defeated Spider-Man, Daredevil, Colossus, and Nightcrawler. Recently his skill has been augmented to unknown levels. He, for example, possesses infinite ways to kill a man, such as the Black-Black Poison Touch which uses his chi to kill anyone in the close vicinity . Weapons Master: He has been trained in the use of almost all martial arts weapons. Nervous System Control: He has near-complete control over his nervous system, enabling him to deaden himself to pain but not in a fight as it takes a lot of concentration. He also is able pass lie detector tests. Skilled Acrobat: Danny is a skilled acrobat and gymnast capable of many difficult feats. Multilingual: He can speak fluent American English, Chinese and Japanese. | Strength = Without increasing his strength with chi, Danny possesses the peak human level of strength a man of his age, height, and build that exercises intensively. He is capable of lifting at least twice his body weight and can press lift at the very least 350 lbs. | Weaknesses = | Equipment = | Transportation = | Weapons = | Notes = | Trivia = * According to Namor #22, Iron Fist is a Bill Everett concept. * Iron Fist was the first Marvel superhero to face Sabretooth, and subsequently defeat him (even without the use of his "Iron Fist" ability), at least in publication history. | Links = * http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0202406/ Iron Fist movie entry on the Internet Movie Database * http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/randkaiwendellif.htm A profile of his father Wendell Rand-K'ai * http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/silvdrag.htm A profile of his mother Heather Duncan Rand, Silver Dragon * https://www.facebook.com/IronFistDragon A dedicated Iron Fist Facebook fan page }} Category:Humans Category:Millionaires Category:Pain Suppression Category:Multilingual Category:Sega - Captain America Category:Martial Arts Category:Regeneration Category:Energy Absorption Category:Energy Manipulation Category:Superhuman Senses Category:Hyperacusia Category:Hypnosis Category:Avengers members Category:Magic-Based Mutates Category:Telepaths